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Microsoft yesterday announced retail pricing for Windows 7. The good news is it will be the same or cheaper than Windows Vista, however this only applies from Friday until July 11, less than a month from now. During that time, upgrade copies of Windows 7 Home Premium will run $49, while Windows 7 Professional will cost $99.
"That truly is a price that we have never even come close to in terms of an operating system release," Corporate Vice President Brad Brooks said. "We've still got a business to run."
When the OS ships in October, boxed copy prices will break down as follows:
That puts Home Premium at a lower price point than the Vista equivalent, which sells for $239, and both Ultimate and Professional on par with each one's Vista counterpart.
Getting back to the pre-release upgrade pricing, Microsoft will only be selling a limited number of copies, though that number is unknown. These will be available at Amazon, Best Buy, Microsoft's own store, Office Depot, OfficeMax, Costco, Staples, Wal-Mart, and a bunch of other retailers, CNet reports.
Image Credit: Microsoft
Comments are closed on this article
nekollx
June 26, 2009 at 5:56pm
basicly "it's not as simple as comparing apples to glass"
------------------------------
Coming soon to Lulu.com --Tokusatsu Heroes--
Five teenagers, one alien ghost, a robot, and the fate of the world.
nekollx
June 26, 2009 at 2:10pm
do dont just plug a EFI dongle into ANY motherboard it has to be on their certfied list. That DOES limit upgradability too
------------------------------
Coming soon to Lulu.com --Tokusatsu Heroes--
Five teenagers, one alien ghost, a robot, and the fate of the world.
alanmc76
June 26, 2009 at 2:30pm
And that right there is why I've never been a fan of Macs. I'm a techie and I love to tweak and upgrade, and Macs have never been very customizable.
Almost all of the pro-Mac/OS X arguments that I have ever heard are based on a perfect world type scenario. Anybody that has been in IT very long knows that rarely happens.
____________________________________________
-- "What am I, MacGyver? Fix it with what?"--
nekollx
June 26, 2009 at 3:06pm
to be fair though they use EFI wich is the "bios" type for large scale servers and unix environs. "our BIOS" is actually pretty bad, but its legacy status means we wont get the better EFI.
Oh if windows and mac both ran in a EFI world...
------------------------------
Coming soon to Lulu.com --Tokusatsu Heroes--
Five teenagers, one alien ghost, a robot, and the fate of the world.
alanmc76
June 26, 2009 at 4:02pm
I read something about that, I believe it was in the Book of Revelations, wasn't it? Haha.
____________________________________________
-- "What am I, MacGyver? Fix it with what?"--
nekollx
June 26, 2009 at 12:18pm
ahem
http://www.maximumpc.com/article/news/microsoft_enthusiast_runs_windows_7_pentium_ii_system
Also instaling on a No MAc TECHNICALLY violates the EULA.....
------------------------------
Coming soon to Lulu.com --Tokusatsu Heroes--
Five teenagers, one alien ghost, a robot, and the fate of the world.
alanmc76
June 26, 2009 at 11:29am
Amen, bro. I'm glad there is someone else out there that can see the big picture. Apple software my be cheap, but you've already taken it in the six by buying the hardware. Compare any system, the facts don't lie.
__________________________________________
-- "What am I, MacGyver? Fix it with what?"--
calljb1023
June 25, 2009 at 10:39pm
First off, no, I haven't run Windows 7 RC yet. After this announcement, I'm not sure I'm going to either as I don't want to get hooked on it. From what I've read, Microsoft did go back to the drawing board and make a leaner, meaner OS and one that they can be proud of. It's sad because I was looking so forward to that.
What I find disappointing is that they still haven't learned a thing from the debacle that was Vista's multi-version/pricing model. Now, I'm really not an Apple person at all truth be told. But OS X costs well under $200 bucks and is in no way crippled in order to force you to buy the more expensive version!
Another thing. Most families have more than one computer in their house. If you want Win7 on all your machines, you have to shell out full price for each license!
All these things I predict will continue to alienate Microsoft's customers. Thank you Steve Ballmer and your team of accountants!
Personally, if I were to run the company, I would work off a volume model. i.e., sell one version of the OS for under $200. If you have more than one computer in your house, sell additional licenses (say, max. 4 @ $50 each) that are tied to the "master" (the one you paid $200 for). The "slave" licenses must authenticate against the master via network after a given time span (say, 3 mos.) and this can be done silently. If you don't authenticate, the "slave" OS gets crippled.
Think about it. That is how Bill Gates got the company to where they are today. Low cost (or, in the case of IE, no cost), high volume. Saturate/dominate the market. How do you think he killed Netscape? (I know, now Firefox. But you have to think of the initial war of browsers..)
Sorry for the long post. I just had to get that off my chest....
alanmc76
June 26, 2009 at 10:15am
I was hoping for a voulme license too, but I guess that's one reason they are offering the pre-sale. Two for less than the price of one is not a bad deal.
As for the multiple versions that people keep griping about. That is really not such an issue. There are really only two versions to choose from. Home Premium and Professional. Ultimate and the rest will only be available in limited supply and to specified markets. The common American will only see the two previously mentioned. Microsoft even included both 32 and 64bit versions in the same package!
___________________________________________
-- "What am I, MacGyver? Fix it with what?"--
gjb1124
June 25, 2009 at 9:58pm
Can I go from Vista Ultimate 64 bit to Windows 7 Professional via upgrading? Or am I forced to upgrade to Win7 Ultimate? Thanks in advance.
the_Troll
June 25, 2009 at 7:44pm
I have 2 computers. If I get the full version can I install it on my laptop and desktop or do I need to shell out more money?
dreamsburnred
June 25, 2009 at 10:58pm
1 copy of the OS per computer, so really you need to fork up a lot of money per computers. Good time to want OS X as there is very cheap family packs :/.
DBR
DravenX
June 25, 2009 at 10:57pm
You will need 1 license per computer so yes you will spend more since you have 2.
bingojubes
June 25, 2009 at 8:53pm
what about the Pre-order, itself? so i am definitely checking out the pre-order for 50$. usually, when it is pre-order, in this case, i decide i want to go through with this deal coming up, and pay 50$. when the price of home premium is @ 120$ (or whatever), would i still need to fork up 70$ upon release, cause they emailed me that week and told me i had to? or is the 50$ for a 120$ copy of Windows 7, for real this time? the term pre-order for me usually means some money later, even when it isn't a whole lot.
just making sure, so i can convince my dad to partake, and stop blaming my inability to share files over the network for his issues with my Vista & his XP machine.
Man i should not have taken my friends out to lunch today... now i got to wait to pay my credit bill! hope there are some available when i get there!
AzMonguse
June 26, 2009 at 10:37pm
I pre-ordere 3 home Prem and one Pro version the cost just a bit over $200.00 this will cover my 2 laptops and my 2 desktops.. I'm happy just over 200 for 4 computers not a bad deal at all
JohnnyCNote
June 25, 2009 at 5:08pm
Will Windows 7 be offered in separate 64-bit versions, or will both be included in the same version? For example, if I get the Home Premium Upgrade, will it work with either 32 or 64-bit versions of Vista? I have 64-bit Vista Home Premium and I'd like to get in on the $50 deal . . .
JohnnyCNote
June 26, 2009 at 6:37am
"This product includes both 32-bit and 64-bit versions."
http://store.microsoft.com/microsoft/Windows-7-Home-Premium-Upgrade/product/B0F9E641
It doesn't say so explicitly for the Home Professional version, but it does say this:
"1GHz or faster 32-bit (x86) or 64-bit (x64) processor"
http://store.microsoft.com/microsoft/Windows-7-Professional-Upgrade/product/8BB1A4B4#ctl13_tcla_a
nekollx
June 25, 2009 at 5:00pm
MS should just do what Nod32/ESET does with their antivirus and offer it as a download with serial activation.
They could halve the price then (no retail box to mark up for) get a higher adoption (mainly from techies) and free monies from people on the fence who were stalking due to price.
------------------------------
Coming soon to Lulu.com --Tokusatsu Heroes--
Five teenagers, one alien ghost, a robot, and the fate of the world.
rcwerner
June 25, 2009 at 4:56pm
If I have Vista Ultimate 64bit (retail) installed, can I use the $50 Windows 7 Home Premium Upgrade? Or do I have to buy the more expensive Windows 7 upgrade because I'm starting out with Vista Ultimate? If I can get the Home Premium, will it be 32bit or 64bit? Thanks.
alanmc76
June 26, 2009 at 9:53am
Yes, you can use the Win 7 Home Premium upgrade, but you will have to backup your files and do a fresh install. The software comes with both the 32 and 64bit versions, so you will have your choice there.
____________________________________________
-- "What am I, MacGyver? Fix it with what?"--
alanmc76
June 25, 2009 at 4:28pm
There is some confusion here as to what the term "Upgrade" means. First, there is the difference between the "Upgrade" version of the software and the full version. "To be eligible for the offer, you need to be running a genuine copy of the Windows XP or Windows Vista operating systems." - Microsoft.com Whether this means the installation validates your copy of Windows before installation, or if it asks you to insert your previous disk, or enter your previous version's product key is yet to be dermined. The bottom line here is: you must have a valid version of Win XP or Vista and be able to prove it, somehow.
Second, and the more confusing part is "Upgrading" your installation of Windows. Simply put, there are two ways to install Windows: upgrading and installing a fresh copy. Both of these methods are available to you with the "Upgrade" version of the software. However, to upgrade your installation of Windows without wiping the install partition, you must have an equal or higher version in the hierarchy. You can upgrade the Basic version to any other version. You can upgrade Home Premium to Premium or Professional. Your only option with Business is Professional. Of course, if you buy the Ultimate version, you will not have any problems with any previous version. Upgrading from Win XP? Your only option is a fresh install of Win 7.
One more thing to keep in mind when upgrading is the difference between 32 bit and 64 bit versions. You can not upgrade from one to the other. You must perform a fresh install when changing from 32 to 64, or vice-versa.
If you don't believe me, or want clarification, here is the URL to Microsoft's FAQ on the matter:
http://www.microsoft.com/windows/buy/offers/pre-order-faq.aspx
-- "What am I, MacGyver? Fix it with what?"--
horzo
June 25, 2009 at 2:00pm
The comments here are proving what a genius move it was to make the Win7 beta freely available.
Even though I think the pricing is a bit high, I've been using the pre-release verisions for so long that I can't imagine not buying a copy as soon as it's available.
u217946
June 25, 2009 at 12:31pm
Starting FridayBest Buy is going to have a special sale only for 15 days
Home Premium (Upgrade) - $50.00
Check it out, and don't miss out on that deal
paschal
June 25, 2009 at 12:30pm
My real concern is how the upgrade versions will physically work. While only an opinion, I do not think MS will go back to letting us plug in an old OS disk to do a clean install. If it goes like Vista and you have to install twice, I'm OK with that, although it takes quite a while. If upgrade will work by "partition sliding", I can live with that, if it works by doing a verify then wipe, I can live with that after backing up to the server (although that is a pretty brain dead approach) However, if it only works by playing pattycake with the old OS files, then that would not only be brain dead, but also arrogant.
If the report is correct that means that only two versions, both upgrade, will be available. My understanding from other sources just fyi is that if you are using a remote pc to a Windows Home Server, you must have the Pro version, as with XP to access your WHS remotely, so looks like I will need one Pro and two Home Upgrades. Trying to take a pragmatic approach.....it will be worth $200 to get rid of clunky Vista, after actually enjoying Windows 7 for a few months.
Don't know about everyone else, but even after all the fixes and cleaning up driver problems and having the gap closed a bit on XP's performance, my biggest issue with Vista is that it is still for a lack of a better expression....a clunky interface. I find aside from the performance improvement in W7, the clunky factor is gone and the intuitive factor that XP, when new, is back.....
AzMonguse
June 27, 2009 at 10:02am
My guess as I have yet to see anything written about it, is that like the Vista upgrade disk I have you will need to install win7 w/o the key then reinstall using the key; in order to do a clean install. I have done this several time when i have formatted my drive for whatever reason or the one time I had a drive die..
Cregan89
June 25, 2009 at 11:56am
Considering Vista Home Premium OEM is $140 compared to $240 retail, we can expect Windows 7 Home Premium OEM to be somewhere in the $100-$120 range.
Vista Business is $180 OEM compared to $300 retail, so Windows 7 Business will probably be $180 as well, maybe a little cheaper if were lucky.
And Vista Ultimate is also $180 OEM compared to $320 retail, so Windows 7 Ultimate OEM will probably be $180 as well, give or take $10.
Overall I don't think the pricing is too bad at all. You have to remember that Windows is Microsoft's biggest product and is where it makes a large amount of it's money. Whereas OS X from Apple, isn't really Apple's main product. It's just part of a family of products which come together as the Apple experience. Apple makes it's profits off of the entire Apple experience which includes a whole bunch of different Apple products. Apple doesn't intend to make large profits off of selling OS X, where as Microsoft DEPENDS on making profits off of selling Windows. So obviously Windows will always cost more than OS X versions.
You can tell that Microsoft is trying to make the tech savy early adopters happy by offering very cheap pre-order prices. They're hoping that by keeping the tech savy happy their general image of Windows 7 will be that it is a good operating system, and this image will spread out to average consumers as well. Because in Vista's case, the average consumers just heard from their tech buddies that "Windows Vista sucks!" so they just kept repeating it so that they could sound like they knew what they were talking about, even though they had no idea why some people actually thought that Vista sucked (which it didn't but that's a whole different debate).
Cregan89
June 25, 2009 at 11:59am
From what I understand, I don't think you can. You can only go from XP home to Windows 7 Home Premium. If you want Windows 7 Business you have to buy the full version.
What do you need from Windows 7 Business anyways that you don't get in Windows 7 Home Premium?
MeTo
June 25, 2009 at 11:20am
- Home Premium (Upgrade) - $99
- Professional (Upgrade) - $149
- Ultimate (Upgrade) - $199
- Home Premium (Full) - $149
- Professional (Full) - $249
- Ultimate (Full) - $299
This looks more reasonable to me.
Linux Mint,Dual boot/Vista,AMD Athlon+ x2 5600,3 Gig ram,500 Gig HDD,ATI 1300 Video.
Hamerlock
June 25, 2009 at 4:09pm
I agree with the above prices, With the prices the way they are now Win 7 Pro will not sell much. I figure if you have $200 ($300 for full) to blow on Pro, why not pony up another $20 and get the whole thing?
johnny3144
June 25, 2009 at 11:03am
i never got really clear on this OEM license thing
so hopefully you guys can help me out.if i have vista home premium OEM installed on my PC, which is basically bounded to my motherboard(from my understanding). then if i buy Win 7 upgrade, can i transfer my OEM license to a new motherboard(planning to get a i7 rig when i go to university)?
Tekzel
June 25, 2009 at 2:21pm
Technically no. The OEM license is for that computer, by which I mean motherboard, and that computer ONLY. The upgrade does not make the previous license transferrable. The UPGRADE is transferrable later, but the OEM is still tied to the old motherboard. In practice, however, you can usually get it activated on a new motherboard if you tell some creative lies.
nekollx
June 25, 2009 at 2:29pm
"My mother board fried and wont even POST so i had to replace it" isnt a lie and should work :P
------------------------------
Coming soon to Lulu.com --Tokusatsu Heroes--
Five teenagers, one alien ghost, a robot, and the fate of the world.
Tekzel
June 25, 2009 at 4:19pm
Technically, no. Since your motherboard was fried, according to the license your OEM version is no longer any good and thus would have to be replaced. Haha.
nekollx
June 25, 2009 at 4:24pm
but most ms Reps will let it slide
------------------------------
Coming soon to Lulu.com --Tokusatsu Heroes--
Five teenagers, one alien ghost, a robot, and the fate of the world.
johnny3144
June 25, 2009 at 2:27pm
so am i better off buying a copy of OEM win 7 in oct then? assuming i am not very proficient in bending the truth.
Tekzel
June 25, 2009 at 4:21pm
Up to you, but keep in mind that the upgrade license is transferrable, the OEM one isn't. Personally, I would get the upgrade since it will be cheaper, and transferrable. The only time the upgrade version wouldn't be viable is if you don't have a valid previous version license to upgrade.
Wow, I just realized how many times I have posted in this thread.
johnny3144
June 25, 2009 at 5:12pm
very complicated...
since you already posted so many time, might as well post few more for me ;pthe upgrade license are transferable, does that mean i can transfer the upgrade to a different previous MS license, or after upgrading, i can transfer this installation license to somewhere else (example: i upgrade my vista to win 7, uninstall, reinstall on another rig, and it will be ok?).
if it turn out to be the second, i might grab 2 copies just like you.
Tekzel
June 25, 2009 at 6:51pm
The upgrade product is transferrable, but of course you must remove it from the machine from which it is being transferred. You can't legally use 1 upgrade product to upgrade two different computers. Transferral means that it is being moved (not copied) to another location. So by transferrable I mean it is removed from the original.
paschal
June 25, 2009 at 11:27am
should be able to, since you would be upgrading to a retail version.
Paschal
Cregan89
June 25, 2009 at 11:27am
Simply put, yes. Well at least you were able to do that from XP to Vista when it was released, so I don't see why they would change.
johnny3144
June 25, 2009 at 12:48pm
guess i should grab a copy friday then.
any idea if they are aviliable in canada?
Tekzel
June 25, 2009 at 10:35am
I guess I am going to do the unthinkable and put two copies of Windows 7 Home Premium Upgrade on my credit card Friday. I don't want to pay more than twice the price for it after October 22nd. And, I refuse to go back to Vista or XP after using Windows 7 RC1 for a few weeks.
skiwolf7
June 25, 2009 at 10:49am
I'm currently running only windows 7 RC on one of my machines. Anyone know if I can buy an upgrade copy of windows 7 or must I buy the full version and not get a chance at the $49 copy? All my other machines run windows xp so I won't be rushing out for that upgrade copy.
Tekzel
June 25, 2009 at 11:43am
I am pretty sure as long as you have something for that machine that IS an upgrade target you can go with the upgrade. Does the machine in question have an XP or Vista OEM key? If so, you can use the upgrade. I haven't actually DONE an upgrade since WinXP, but from what I recall you may have to install the OS on there, then do the upgrade from within. The days of being able to feed a valid disk during the install process are gone, but I don't believe the OS that you are upgrading from has to be actually activated, though if I am wrong someone will definitely correct me.
skiwolf7
June 25, 2009 at 11:57am
the mahcine in question has a retail xp key. After running windows 7, I can't go back to xp... guess I'll be doing the back up and fresh install from xp.
Tekzel
June 25, 2009 at 2:24pm
Yea, you can't downgrade. I am going to be having the same issue, again. I went from the 32bit OEM Vista on my machine to the 64bit Win7 RC1. When I get the full version I am going to have to back up all my stuff and reinstall from scratch again :( Oh well, life goes on.
nesierf
June 25, 2009 at 9:58am
The upgrade prices seem a bit high, with such a let down with Vista.
Maybe we all should boycott the upgrade to Win7 until we get better pricing
